Local News

Sterling Energy gets nod for Morgan County line

Natural gas company serves Logan, Morgan and Weld counties

By Vicki Severson

For the Fort Morgan Times

Posted:
01/29/2018 09:46:38 PM MST

In a public hearing in Fort Morgan on Thursday, Sterling Energy received approval on a conditional use permit to begin construction of a buried natural gas pipeline in Morgan County. The pipeline will begin near county road DD at the edge of the Morgan County line and end at the intersection of County Road 10 and County Road GG, near Weldona.

According to experts, a natural gas gathering system begins at a natural gas- producing well, where raw natural gas is collected. The pipeline system then directs the flow of the natural gas to a processing plant, to be purified. The gas is purified by removing contaminants such as water, carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide. This process allows the gas to then be delivered as a dry gas, which is used as fuel by residential, industrial and commercial customers. This expansion will allow Sterling Energy to provide service to new customers, according to representatives from the company.

The pipeline construction is projected to take approximately three years and traverse approximately 12.2 miles. The pipe will be 12" in diameter or less and will be buried adjacent to another pipeline that is already on the property.

Sterling Energy owns and operates a gas gathering system located in northeastern Colorado and southwestern Nebraska, which serves Weld, Logan and Morgan counties. Sterling Energy has contracted with gas producers to gather, treat and process gas produced from wells in the vicinity of the gathering system. The company owns and manages three facilities and constructed phase one of the Jackson Lake gas processing facility in 2015.

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The pipeline will cross the hundred year floodplain, so floodplain development permits are required. In addition, agreements state that Sterling Energy will submit a stormwater management plan, to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Water Quality Control Division, which will be maintained throughout construction.

The disturbed ground will be returned to natural conditions according to Sterling Energy. Soil will be relaid in the order it was originally taken out, in compliance with floodplain regulations and in agreement with the property owners. The surface will be returned to agricultural use following completion of the pipeline.

A powerpoint presentation by Abby Reynolds, Manager of Project Development, displayed Sterling Energy's safety procedures, as well as the route of the pipeline.

"The pipeline essentially goes from the edge of Morgan County into our Jackson Lake gas processing facility. This pipeline was sized with consideration to get the appropriate amount of natural gas into our facility to match what that facility was originally permitted for," said Reynolds. "A lot of this route follows an existing pipeline. The part that doesn't was done in such a way that we would minimize impact of the land and to take the shortest route," said Reynolds.

According to Dena Lund, Executive Vice President of Operations and Engineering for Sterling Energy, the first thing that happens after the area is prepared, is the excavated soil is taken off in two sections. The top soil is taken off first and set to the side and then the next part of the soil is set into a separate pile.

Next, the pipeline is welded. The pipeline welds will then be examined by x ray inspection. After the inspection, the line is pressure tested with water, to a pressure of one and a half times the maximum amount of pressure the pipe is designed to withstand. Finally, the pipeline will be recovered with the original soil in the proper order it was taken out, according to Lund.

During the entire process, Lund said, there will be several types of inspections done.

During a time of public comment, Karina Graulus, who works for the Morgan County Assessor's office, stood to speak.

"I have worked with Sterling Energy for years. They've got other pipelines here in Morgan County. Everything is really safety aware. This is going to have a positive impact for Morgan County. I live a hundred yards from Cheyenne Plains pipeline. They are very high tech and inspected very well from what I saw," said Graulus.

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